For Such a
Time as This
By Mark Dinnage, Missionary in Taiwan, One Mission Society
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About 15 years ago, I listened
to a man give a devotional at
a missionary retreat. I don’t
remember the actual topic
of the devotional; however,
a side comment the speaker
made really stuck with me. He
said, “If you are not investing
in someone now, you should
be … so just choose someone.” As a result, I asked God
who I should invest in, and I
felt he was telling me a young
man named Michael Gearhart.
Since Michael was only in the
fourth grade at the time, I was
sure that I had heard incorrectly. As a result, the Lord
and I had a long conversation
about this, which lasted about
two years. While visiting some
friends in Ohio, I was reminded
that delayed obedience is actually disobedience. So, after I returned home, I knew I
needed to become involved in
Michael’s life.
A few weeks later, I approached the junior high youth
director at my home church
and asked if I could be a youth
coach (small group leader).
With a surprised look on his
face, the youth director asked
if I had overheard his conversation. He said that a sixth-grade
youth coach was no longer
available, so if I was willing to
work with a bunch of squirrely
sixth-grade guys, he would be
happy to have my help. Michael
was one of those guys, so I
started investing in him and a
few other great kids.
I n the sum m e r b e tw e e n
Michael’s seventh- and eighth-